"...determination is the key to success in politics, in the broadest sense of the word. You don't need many resources to make your voice heard when you are defending a cause you believe to be just..." Padre André Sibomana

UN Mission in Congo should Arrest Bosco Ntaganda.

The war lord nicknamed “the terminator” for his murderous efficiency
reportedly told Reuters that he is commanding troops within the UN backed
mission in Congo (MONUSCO). His mission he claims
is to hunt down Hutu rebels. However, his past record is that of a mass
murderer who, for the good of the community, ought to be in the hands of the International Criminal Court
(ICC).

Mr. Ntaganda is a veteran the Rwandan
civil war and Congo war. He began his rebel career fighting in the ranks of the Rwandan
Patriotic Front. In 1996, he was part of the Rwandan team that attacked then
Zaire to topple the former President Mobutu Sese Seko. After the end of the
major wars, he joined Laurent Nkunda’s force, the National Congress for the
Defense of the People (CNDP) where he served as Nkunda’s second in command. By then, the CNDP was waging a war against the
Congolese government. In January 2009, he announced on BBC Kinyarwanda that he
was taking over the leadership of CNDP from his former commander.

Like his predecessor, Laurent Nkunda, Gen. Ntaganda’s
fighting record has been chillingly ruthless.

In November 2002, troops under Ntaganda’s command (who by
the time worked closely with Thomas Lubanga, a Hema) massacred at least 800 civilians—most
of them Lendu, on completely ethnic grounds. During the Congo war, the Rwanda
Patriotic Front (RPF) and Uganda People Defense Force (UPDF) had supported the
Hema against the Lendus. The Tutsi of Rwanda and the Hima of Uganda (both
ruling class in the respective countries) believe they share ancestral bonds
with the Hema.

Thomas Lubanda, a leader of the Hema fighting group, with
close ties to Rwanda and Uganda was arrested in 2006 and is currently
undergoing trial at the ICC.

The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Bosco Ntaganda.
However, given his close ties with the US backed Rwanda; it might take a long time
before his arrest is made. Already, there are fears that he might orchestrate a new wave of killings.

Regardless of whatever influence Mr. Ntaganda has, it is sacrilegious that
the UN would work with a well known mass murder in their efforts to secure
Eastern DRC. Such an action sends the wrong message to fighting groups around
the region and jabs direct pain into the very people that the UN is mandated to
protect. It is no wonder that the locals have no faith in the effectiveness of MONUSCO.

Not only should the UN distance itself from Gen. Ntaganda
but they must also facilitate his arrest and eventual extradition to The Hague,
where he is sought for committing crimes against humanity. To curb impunity,
well known criminals must not be allowed to wonder around scotch-free, not to
mention, being given responsibilities by the United Nations.